Bank of America & mountaintop removal coal-mining protest

Protesters boasting signs that read “Break America’s Oil Addiction” and “Coal is Dirty” crowd around Bank of America in downtown Asheville shouting and chanting slogans like: “What do we want? No Coal! When do we want it? NOW.” They are also asking people to close their accounts with Bank of America, asserting that the bank supports mountaintop removal, coal mining and fossil-fuel consumption.

April 1st marks Fossil Fools Day, a day of environmental demonstration. Here are a few photos taken at the scene:

About Aiyanna Sezak-Blatt

Aiyanna grew up on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. She was educated at The Cambridge School of Weston, Sarah Lawrence College, and Oxford University. Aiyanna lives in Asheville, North Carolina where she proudly works for Mountain Xpress, the city’s independent local newspaper.

I’m proud as always to see fellow young people leading the way on energy and environmental issues. Mountaintop removal and its consequences make up just a few of the many reasons why we need a better energy policy–one that makes clean energy sources the top priority and cuts back heavily on fossil fuel use. Clean energy investment creates more jobs per dollar than either coal or oil, which means a greater and longer-lasting benefit for communities that make the investment. At a time when our economy needs a major boost and fossil fuels are getting more expensive anyway, why are we waiting to take action? We need to pass a national clean energy bill as soon as possible, and Burr and Hagan should stand up for North Carolina by voting in favor of such legislation.